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For peat's sake - Benn calls for clearer compost labels

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (118/09) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 18 May 2009

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today urged garden centres and retailers to make it clear if compost they sell contains peat, to highlight the damage its use does to wildlife and the environment.

Peat bogs are an important store of carbon emissions, but peat dug up in Britain for garden compost releases almost half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year - the equivalent of 100,000 cars on the road.

Peat use by gardeners dropped for the first time in 2007 (from 3.4million cubic metres to 3.01million cubic metres) with 54 per cent of the growing media market peat-free.

Before visiting the Chelsea Flower Show, Mr Benn said:
"Peat harvested for gardening seriously damages rare wildlife habitats and contributes to climate change.

"Gardeners care about the environment. All compost should be labelled clearly so that they can make informed choices about what they use.

"Species such as the curlew and White-faced Darter dragonfly find their homes on our peat bogs, over three quarters of which have already been permanently damaged.

"There are many alternatives to using peat in the garden, and for the first time over 50 per cent of the compost market is peat free. If compost is not clearly labelled, people should ask retailers what type they sell, and ask for alternatives."

Mr Benn will meet gardeners at the Chelsea Flower Show and visit a garden designed by the government-funded UK Climate Impacts Programme demonstrating the effect of climate change on gardens.

Notes to editors

1. Amateur gardeners account for almost 69% of all peat used in the UK, mainly in the form of 'Multi-purpose Compost' and 'Grow Bags'. http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/publications/documents/peatAlternatives2007.pdf

2. Forty-three per cent of peat used in the UK comes from the UK, 54 per cent from the Republic of Ireland, and three per cent from the Baltic States. In the UK, the majority of undamaged peat bogs are protected as Special Areas of Conservation or Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 14,300 hectares as SACs, and 17,758 hectares as SSSIs.

3. The Government target for 40 per cent of the growing media market to be peat free by 2005 was met (with 47 per cent peat-free), and a follow-up target was set for 90 per cent of the growing media market peat free by 2010.

4. Defra commissioned reports on peat and the greenhouse gas emissions from growing media will be published in the summer.

5. Defra is a member of the Steering Group for the Growing Media Initiative, made up of the Horticultural Trades Association, Growing Media Association, DIY and garden retailers, the RSPB and the Royal Horticultural Society. The aim is to reduce peat use in growing media http://www.the-hta.org.uk/gmi/#gmimembers

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